Page 51 of Scarred Sins
I love the man, but he’s peculiar when it comes to Mom.
As if I’m his goddamn competition, not his son.
What I never anticipated was that later tonight, I’d be in the same damned hospital as Mom, not as a visitor.
Just like the sky above, the night had turned dark quickly.
Something is very, very wrong.
I park further away from Blair so she doesn’t hear the bike and get the chance to run away from me. She’s still in the park, with less and less people around as the sky starts turning dark. It’s rather chilly, and she’s not wearing proper clothing for the weather.
Blair is staring at something across the park, frozen in place. For someone who is always on alert, her expression alarms me. My feet move on their own accord, something shifting in the air that causes my shoulders to go rigid. Even Arson is hissing, but no one is around them.
“Blair?” I ask, softening my voice, trying not to startle her.
I’m standing next to her when she extends her arms and grabs the hem of my sleeve, clutching it in her hands until her knuckles turn white. She’s as pale as a sheet of paper, and despite the cold weather, droplets of sweat form on her forehead.
My eyes follow Blair’s line of vision, and I curse under my breath. It’s the last person we need to encounter today.
Gently, I clasp my hand over Blair’s, giving it a small squeeze. Her skin is as cold as ice, and it brings me nothing but uneasiness. Her hand trembles beneath mine, and I’m contemplating our next steps.
She’s yet to acknowledge my presence, but she knows I’m here. I can feel it. She’s clinging to me like she’s terrified I’ll disappear. While having her skin touch mine, I crouch down, leveling my eyes with hers. Despite my silent efforts, she’s not moving her gaze.
She’s barely blinking, her pretty eyes inflating with tears.
“Blair,’’ I whisper. “We need to leave right now. He can’t see you.’’
The thought of him seeing her is enough for me to bloat with suppressed rage. There was a point in time where he was going to find out that Blair Hawke is alive and there to take him to the pits of Hell he forced her to experience, but this is too soon.
She isn’t ready.
Blair is trembling at the mere sight of him, even though he’s across the park, oblivious to her. He’s speaking on the phone, with two of his security guards standing closely behind him. From his body language, it’s not hard to understand that the conversation is making him less than happy.
He stops walking, screams into the phone, then cuts the call off. Desperately, he’s trying to avoid the attention of other people and to calm himself down, which isn’t proving to be very helpful.
If I have to guess, I’d guess that it has something to do with the small USB drive I gave his little friend, Nelson Adams. From the inside sources, both Adams and Simmons are distraught, trying to reach my family and me, but it’s been unsuccessful. Being in this line of work brought a lot of enemies but also brought a lot of contacts and connections that Mom and Dad often use.
Still frozen in place, Blair tears her eyes away from Paul Simmons and focuses them on me, silently seeking comfort. I forcefully soften my gaze, trying to relax a little, despite wanting nothing more than to go and kill the motherfucker right now and right here.
“Baby, if he sees you, it will destroy you,’’ I whisper, trying to remain calm and collected, despite the storm brewing inside me.
Blair remains unresponsive to my voice, and it irks me. If she goes to that dark place right now, out in the open, it’s there for everyone to witness. And more importantly, it’s right there for the motherfucker to see and use against her.
Why the fuck is he here in the first place?
For a politician who’s going to start his campaign soon, he’s spending a lot of time in public. This park, in particular, despite being in a good neighborhood, has nothing great to offer. Aside from the park, there are a few boutiques, coffee shops, hotels, and restaurants located nearby.
That’s when it hits me.
Across the park, down the street, is a hotel. It’s very old, luxurious, and too expensive. It’s the most common place for wealthy people to bring their mistresses in, as it guarantees privacy.
Blair’s sharp intake of breath pushes all the other thoughts to the side. She gasps for air, struggling to breathe while tears freely stream down her cheeks. My sole focus is her face, stained with tears as her bottom lip quivers. Her grip on my sleeve hardens, too terrified to let go.
I glance back at Simmons, and in that moment, my entire world starts falling apart.
He’s staring directly at Blair.
The motherfucker is still too far, yet closer than where he was originally standing. Just like Blair, he’s frozen in place, confused. Undoubtedly, he recognized her. She might’ve changed her hair, but those eyes remained the same.
